The Pet
by Annis Pekka
Summary: He looked at his left and sighed, eyeing the cage that stood there. He’d forgotten, again. - A look at the master/pet relationship, how it affects both parties, and those around them - SSHP, SSHPLM, DMLM, AU, SLASH
1. The Introduction

When I sat down, it was with the intention of updating Borrowed Life. It really was! But somehow, my muse turned my attention to this little fic I had written one day during class. Originally, I had no plans to continue this, but the words came out just the same…

Hope you like!

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**Chapter One**

**The Introduction**

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Severus Snape sat at his desk, quill scraping furiously on the parchment. He was correcting papers from his 4th year Slytherins, muttering how his own house could be so bloody incabable of writing a simple essay on the properties and uses of Basilisk poison. He had to really restrain himself from decorating entire pages with red inked insults. 

Suddenly, a noise raised him from his concentration. It sounded like metal hitting against metal. He looked at his left and sighed, eyeing the cage that stood there. He'd forgotten, again. The paperwork always took so much of his time.

Inside the little cage was his most prized possession. His pride and joy. Pets like his were hard to find and even then, they were extremely expensive. He'd had to borrow a bit from his friend Lucius to be able to buy this one.

It had been worth it.

Snape had taken quite some time to input some manners on it, but it had all paid off in the end. His pet was desired by many people, and Severus himself was often the object of their envy.

Severus was a worldly known Potions Master, and his accomplishments were recognized by the best. However, nothing compared to the feeling of actually owning **it**.

The way it would fight him, yet obey his each and every command. Even the way it moaned and moved it's body as it was stroked. Like a big kitten.

Yes, that's what it was. A very big kitten. All claw and bite, but it melted and purred all the same.

He stood up, and picked something that had been resting on his desk for far to long. He walked around the cage to the side that had a door. All the while, his pet stared at him, head half bowed, eyes boring into him.

Severus stopped at the front, and stared back. Black eyes looking into green ones.

Warm, intense, green eyes that screamed 'feed me, dammit!', while holding hard onto the chains around it.


	2. The Pet

A/N: chapter 1 has been rewritten, as of july 24th, so if you haven't read it after that, go back please. Enjoy the story!

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**Chapter two**

**The Pet**

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I sat back inside the cage. Glaring while munching on the snacks given to me by my bastar… hmm, well, my master.

Even after all these years, our relationship was still a bit rocky. Time had softened a few rough edges, both physical and psychologically, but the Master still treated me like an object, a pet.

As if I was something that could be put on display, and be played with. However, I cannot deny how my body reacts to these events.

My body will grow warm at his mere touch. Like a fire that is lit inside me. Tremors and other strange sensations invade my entire being, until I am not able to do or think anything other then **more **and **faster **and **harder**.

Sometimes another will watch. Master's friend will sit at a chair purposely placed at the left of the enormous bed. The few candles that lighten the dark room make only his silhouette visible. He never speaks and hardly ever moves, but the candle light reflected on his cane always makes his presence impossible to ignore. The shame I feel at being watched during my predicament wias small when compared with the shame that consumes me when I get off at the feel of that cane caressing my legs and thighs.

I knew better then to protest that man's presence. Again. There was only one time when I did it, back in the beginning, when my master first brought me here. That was also the first time I experienced the red room. After that, I really came to dread Master's punishments.

And yet, I can't say I fear him. I don't, honestly. He doesn't glare at me, the way he does when reading those papers he brings from the outside. He doesn't hurt me on purpose, only to punish my mistakes.

And when we are on the bed, his touch is gentle, his words kind. The way he looks at me kills me every night, because I only repay his affection with resentment.

That, perhaps, is my biggest shame. To resent my imprisonment, when all he does is love me.


	3. The Friend

**Chapter Three**

**The Friend**

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I will always regret not having asked what the money was for, when Severus borrowed it.

It is inherent in our relationship. We have known each other almost all our lives. Over the years, we supported one another, whatever the situation, whatever the cost.

He was there for me when I married and became a father. He was there when I realised my family was not what had hoped it to be, and I fell appart. He was the one who comforted me. It was the least I could do; to lend him the money to buy whatever it was that had made him so enthusiastic.

I had never seen him the way he did when he came to me that day. There was glint in eyes that I hadn't seen since he got the results of his final exam, two points away from a perfect score.

For four months, he kept it a secret. Severus was rarely seen outside his classes, and always took his meals in a hurry to Merlin knows where. It was only when he finally invited me to his home that I understood what had happened.

I do not know how to begin describing how pale **it** was. The absence of cloth exposing the softest looking skin I had ever seen. The long, thin, limbs and body, minimally muscled, were beautiful.

It sat at Severus' feet, barely moving. My eyes kept wondering down to it, dividing my attention between my friend and his pet.

When it finally moved, a couple hours into my visit, it was to raise its head. At that moment, just there, I forgot how to breathe.

I just sat there, tea cup balanced on my right hand, looking at it. Those eyes held the greenest gems I had ever laid my eyes on. They were hypnotising.

This did not escape Severus' notice. I believe I was being rather obvious, quite unlike my usual self. That, and by now we know each other really well. So I did not hesitate when he offered me a place in his domestic life. He, more then anyone else, knows how deep my loneliness affects me. To tell the truth, his offer did not surprise me.

And so here I am, after all this time, still entranced by that gorgeous creature. My finest robes on me, my silver tip cane in hand. Two hours spent in front of the mirror, brushing my long hair. All in hopes that it's attention could be focused on me, even if for one minute.

But I know it is useless. Severus holds its whole attention, in and out of the bedroom. The way it responds to him reminds me how much I miss having a lover. And even the way it responds to me, on the rare occasions I join them, ashamed of its pleasure and seeking comfort in its master, reminds me how utterly alone I will become the moment I step out of that room.

Yes, I am envious. And Severus knows it; how much I wish it had been me that day at the market, with the gold coins. But he always invites me back. For one more night. One more touch.

And I keep coming back. I cannot stay away.


	4. The Beginning

**Chapter Four**

**The Beginning**

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As I walk the street back to the grand market, I'm thinking "what, in the seven pits of Hell, am I doing?"

I was raised to be a rational person. I AM a rational person. My childhood was spent studying. I read thousands of books, wrote essays, and even published a few articles on the Potions Digest at a young age.

My entire life has been focused on the next text to read, the next potion to make, the next breakthrough in the field. I have one good friend, who always watched over me. I have my job, my home, and my students, however idiotic and incompetent they may be.

Most of my time is spent inside my laboratory, stirring one potion or another, taking notes. The few trips I make outside are generally to the closest apothecary, in search of fresh ingredients. It's a fast journey; apparition makes a wizard's life so easy…

There is a little Tea House to the left of the shop where I usually stop for a cup or two. And three streets down from it, a dark, cosy bookstore that caters to demanding tastes like mine. The Pet Market is situated almost in between. Most days, I am either too busy to notice it, or in a mood that makes me want to ignore the sounds and people inside.

Truthfully, I cannot say for sure why I decided to enter that day, last week. One moment I was on my way home, and suddenly I found myself crossing the big oak door that marked the place. It was like entering a new dimension.

People from various social status and ethnicities, young and old, filled the corridors. Merchants yelled, announcing prices. Cages staked behind them. It was like any other market, except for the things they sold.

Being a work-focused man as I am, I was not, however, unfamiliar with the customs of this world. Most of my acquaintances possessed pets similar to the ones I encountered. I simply had never desired one for myself.

As I browsed through the different shops, I could not help but look at the pets. Some of them were still young, others almost entering adulthood. Some were slim and petite, while others had bodies marred from hard work. Males and females alike, healthy and ready to service or keep company to their new owners.

It was in front of one of these stands, in nothing different from the others, that I finally came to a halt. My gaze fell on a male specimen. It seemed to be barely coming out of childhood, body still small, but already showing signs of what it would look like in a few years. There was nothing unusual about it, but for some reason, looking at it made feel better. Like a weight that had been lifted off my shoulders. I tried to look away, but it felt so good.

I must have stood there a good ten minutes, before the merchant's voice reached my hears. The small, fat man tried sell me one of the pets to his left, claiming that they were some of the finest he had ever seen, saying that a man of my appearance deserved more then the useless, weak pet that had caught my eye.

As he said that, from the corner of my eye, I noticed said pet flinching. If it had been from the words spoken or the cold afternoon, I could not tell. In an impulse, I asked how much he wanted for it. I did not like the ugly smile he gave me. As he told me the price, I almost flinched myself.

I walked away.

That night I stayed awake. Sleep would not come, even after a sleeping draught. Visions of the little creature plagued me as soon as I shut my eyes. There was something about it that made me tingle.

The next morning I sat all day at my desk, going through my shopping lists, deciding which items were not of urgent purchase. My salary was good, but even with a few cutbacks, I would have to spend three months worth of pay checks to cover that bill. The only conclusion I reached at, was the one that would cost me the most, psychologically.

It took me five days of this strange obsession with the pet, to decide that I would really have to ask Lucius to borrow a bit of gold, to be able to buy it. As a good friend, he would lend it to me, I know. But he would also tell me that this was not something I would ordinarily do.

Perhaps I was afraid that he would talk me out of it. I do not know. And yet, when I went to him, I did not tell him what I had planned to buy. It was cowardly of me, I realise that even now as I make my way back to place where it all started. I tell myself that a bit of indulgence never hurt anyone; Lucius himself has soft spot for chocolate, the dark, bitter kind.

As I reach the shop stand, the same man gives me that same smile from the other day, "Changed your mind, heh?". I tell myself I'm only doing this to spite the man, who dared to call it useless. That I'm only here because that thing in the cage bewitched in such a manner that I can no longer sleep.

But as I put the money in the merchant's hand, I see it raising his head to look at me.

And as I stare at him, at those bewitching green eyes, I tell myself, it doesn't matter.


	5. The Outsider

A/N: It's been so loong since I've updated anything... I'm surprised people keep reading my stuff... Anyway, I finally decided to sit down and finish this chapter. I had a bit of a hard time with this one... couldn't find the right tone to express what I had in mind not to mention that refering to the pet as "it" could (did? what do you think?) make some sentences confusing... All things considered, I think it turned out ok.

R&R people, it makes me happy!

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**Chapter Five**

**The Outsider**

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Gisele smoothed her robes. Soft hands brushing away imaginary wrinkles. Violet painted nails adorned her fingers. Her family rings and jewellery a finishing touch over dark blue clothes.

Today she wore her hair down, big curls falling on her shoulders and back.

Today, she wore her most expensive perfume.

Today. Was Friday.

Every week, on Fridays, exactly at 7pm, Potions Master Severus Snape came into her shop. The bells would sing at his graceful entrance, even though the man wore a frown on his face.

He would rant about his students, whom he calls 'snivelling, conniving mongrels'. About how well behaved and eager to learn they were **not**.

She would smile and reach out with her right hand, taking the list of items he wished to purchase. She didn't have to. The moment anyone walked into her store, she knew exactly what they needed. It was her gift, her family's gift.

The blonde woman simply could not resist the opportunity to stretch her hand a little bit more and maybe, just maybe, let her fingers gently caress his.

As Gisele collected all the items, the other wizard would wander around the shop. She could hear his dragonhide boots clicking on the dark wood floor, while perusing the many shelves in search of any book or ingredient that might spark his interest.

She admired that in him. How he would always pay attention to smallest detail and information that might provide a solution to a problematic potion or even a new challenge.

One day, the man brought along a small pet. She had been surprised at first, for he did not seem the type of person who took interest in them.

As the time passed, however, she got used to the sight, and could actually see how the little pet came to mean so much to the Dark wizard.

It seemed to share Professor Snape's inquisitive mind. Green eyes saw everything, little fingers pointing at whatever caught its attention, no doubt followed by a question. The Master would always patiently answer and she could almost swear she saw him smile at it once.

Gisele tried not to think about that. Everyday.

More and more, the two would be together, either during the trips to her Apothecary or the rare but precious times she ran into him at the Tea House next door.

The small creature almost seemed glued to his side, wherever they went. These days it was very rare for him to come alone.

It saddened her that she could not be the one he cared for. And it shamed her, the anger she felt towards it. She was a lady. She was better then it, **above** it.

And yet, when she stood there last week, surrounded by the exotic fragrances of her family's shop, staring at the smiling face of the pet holding the piece of parchment instead of the man currently stroking a finger through the cover of an essay on the history of uses of Belladonna, she could not help but glare.

Today, she thought. Today will be different.

I'm in control. This is my territory, my world. My game.

She glanced at the old grandfather clock standing in a corner. The big pointer moved.

As the bells chimed seven times, time seemed to slow down.

She turned back at gazing outside through the display window.

There.

Among the anonymous, nondescript inhabitants of the streets, two dark silhouettes. A tall one, closely followed by another, small one..

The door opened and, although the glow did not reach her eyes, she smiled brightly.


	6. The Dragon

I bet you're all just about ready to kill me, aren't you? Well, guess what, not today… it's Draco's turn!

**Chapter Six**

**The Dragon**

The warmth of the fireplace reddened the boy's cheeks, but he barely noticed. The joy he had felt when riding the train home for the Christmas holidays disappeared, as depression slowly seeped into him. This was not what he was expecting.

Ever since Narcissa had fled with her latest lover, life at Malfoy Manor had been just him and Lucius. And if Draco was going to be honest, he actually preferred that way.

He had never felt close to her, just as the woman had never been particularly affectionate towards him, like other mothers did. Whereas his father had always been his teacher, his provider, his protector. His beloved.

Just his.

When it really counted, it had been just the two of them.

That was how the outside world was used to see them. The 'Aristocratic Duo', they called them. Whenever there was a public function, a party or even when the Dark Lord made his appearances and meetings, they were always there. Together. Representing the Malfoy name. The status, the power, the glamour. It was all a part of what they both were.

Of what made them belong, in this society as well as to each other. They were the same. Equal in all aspects. Mates in sorrow, in life. In soul.

But even that had ended too, as quickly as fire turns wood to ash, as painfully as water drowns.

And it was all that creature's fault.

His Godfather had always been lonely, so the news of the purchase was brought him joy. It would be good for Severus to be happy. And that way they would always have company, never to be alone and sad again.

Draco had fantasised about the four of them. The late dinners in the comfort of the Manor, the soirées in their summer home. He had had this imagery of the two adults sitting in the weaved chairs of the cottage, enjoying a good red wine, talking about all kinds of topics. The two younger ones would be curled next to them, on the floor, simply enjoying their company.

Draco could still see it. The soft smiles, their skins glowing a fiery red from the setting sun. He could almost feel his father's hand resting on his head, hear the deep baritones of the two older wizards' voices. Taste the red wine lingering on Lucius' lips as a goodnight kiss was given.

He could, but the memory was tainted by the resentment he felt towards his godfather. Which wasn't really fair, he knew. It wasn't his fault. He just wanted to be happy. To be loved. It wasn't his fault that the little creep was an attention seeking slut.

It wasn't enough to have Severus' love, did he have to have his father's too?

It made his heart ache to not feel his father's eyes on him as he used to. To see him watching the green eyed pet with as much affection as he showed when watching his own son. Maybe even more.

And now, not even during Christmas would he be able to have him for himself.

Five hours. It had been that long since his father had told him that Severus and the pet would be joining them for Christmas dinner. Five hours since his joy was shattered. Since his peace of mind fled. Since his resolution to finally confront Lucius was brought to the ground.

Since he had deposited his dejected form in the love seat that completed the furniture set of his father's study.

He almost didn't hear the door open. Almost missed the call of his name. Almost. How could he ignore Lucius' call? How could anyone ignore it?

With a jump, he came to his father's side. Hugging the bigger body, and not letting go of his hand – _never letting go_ – he followed him to the dinner hall where he knew their two guests were waiting.

With a tight hold on the other's hand as they descended the stairs, which earned an affectionate pat on the head, to his utter delight, he tried to ignore the ever growing squeeze on his heart.

_There will be other days._


End file.
